Powered log splitters, especially those using hydraulically actuated apparatus are well known in the art. First attempts at such devices required an independent hydraulic system, an engine to power the system, and a framework to support the mechanism and wood to be split. While this approach provided a usable splitter, it also proved expensive to construct and cumbersome to transport. More recently, log splitters have appeared which use the existing hydraulic system of a powdered vehicle. For instance, Worthington, U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,854, discloses a log splitter for use with vehicles such as conventional three-point hitch equipped vehicles, having hydraulic pressure systems. While this version eliminates the need for an independently powered hydraulic system, it still requires an independent hydraulic ram and a relatively time consuming hookup operation.
Another popular approach, illustrated in Guy, U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,779 and Krom, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,325, is the adaptation of the hydraulic bucket actuator on a tractor or dip stick of a backhoe to power the splitting apparatus. By supplanting the tractor's bucket or dip stick with a wood splitting attachment and using the hydraulic ram to power the splitter, the necessity for an independent hydraulic ram is removed. Certain disadvantages, however, stem from the addition of an attachment to the dip stick or bucket support boom and the attendant hydraulic actuator.
The wood splitting apparatus, as shown in the Guy patent, rests upon the lip of the bucket. This support not only positions the splitting table at a fairly steep angle but also raises the wood splitting table to an excessive height, making loading both awkward and laborious. Additionally, the bucket gets in the way of both operator and the split, falling wood.
Another distinct disadvantage is inherent in the hydraulic bucket actuator adaptation. The wood splitting operation cannot be readily seen by the operator of the tractor owing to the physical separation between the splitter and the operator. Inability to see clearly the operation of the splitting ram increases the possibility of injury to the loading person.
The present design overcomes the difficulties presented by the previously discussed art. The invention discloses an attachment which quickly modifies the stabilizer leg of a backhoe or the like into a safe, convenient and efficient wood splitter.